I like to get out of Cambridge at the weekends if I can. The place is amazing during the week, with a non-stop round of interesting seminars at Harvard Kennedy School and physics department, not to mention the seminars at the MIT physics and engineering departments one T-stop away – but it’s nice to cross the river to see Boston city proper at the weekends.

On Saturday nights, I play in a trad session in the Littlest Bar on Broad St in the heart of the financial district. It’s a great session with good music and friendly players but it’s strange to get off the T from flat Cambridge and be surrounded by tall skyscrapers, gives me vertigo every time. Fun to visit at weekends but I couldn’t live downtown.

The financial district in downtown Boston

Rockin’ session at the Littlest Bar: photo Sara Piazza

On Sunday, I often take a trip to the Beacon Hill area of Boston, exploring the coffee shops along historic Charles St and walking along the beautiful park by the Charles river. Today, I ventured a bit further for a Christmas do with some relatives in the Backbay area of Boston. It’s a beautiful part of the city with lovely old houses, parks and not too far from Boston Common. Although the T makes it easy to reach anywhere within Boston city, I try to make a point of walking around the city and today I decided to see if I could walk home from Backbay. Right around the corner was historic Boston Symphomy Hall and from there it was a short walk along Mass Avenue, across Harvard bridge and back to MIT and finally back to Cambridge centre – all within 40 minutes.